Iguanas have large limbs and long toes. Sometimes, there might be issues with iguana toes. Your iguana might break its toes, lose its nail or develop an infected toe. In this post, we will discuss the reasons for broken fingers (toes), infection, gangrene (black toes), swollen toes and nail loss and how to treat an iguana toe.
Iguanas often get issues with their toes and nails, because they are long and often get caught in something. But sometimes, environmental factors and mistakes in the husbandry can cause worsening of the symptoms.
Can iguanas live without toes?
Yes, iguana can live without few toes. While each gives an additional support for climbing and walking, iguana can live a happy life without few toes. The main thing to remember is that often amputation is necessary to remove the dead toe, to prevent the infection from spreading.
If the toe is getting dark, sometimes there’s a chance to save it, for example by removing stuck skin if that’s the case. Always act quickly, and monitor the condition of the toes. If possible, take your iguana to the vet immediately.
Can iguanas grow their toes back?
No, iguanas do not grow their toes back if they have been amputated or fell off. However, if your iguana has ripped its claw (nail), then it might grow back slowly. The new claw will be smaller, often thick, and not as sharp as the original nail. It can also take few months and up to a year for iguana to grow a nail back.
How to prevent issues with iguana’s toes?
- Always make sure to remove any stuck shed on iguana’s toes! After your iguana has completed shedding, you must always check if there is any stuck shed on its toes and around the tail! To remove any stuck shed, use a reptile conditioner and rub the skin with a cotton bud. Stuck shed shuts off blood supply to these parts. This is very simple, but yet important and many new owners forget about this step, always leading to necrosis (death) of toes and other parts.
- When setting up a cage, make sure there are no spots where your iguana’s toes or claws might get stuck in. These include between the branches, on a climbing rope, wire around the cage sides and other structures.
- Don’t use wire mesh to build the cage if your iguana gets scared easily. It will be likely to jerk when you approach the tank or jump suddenly, getting the toes and claws stuck.
- Be careful when closing doors and transporting your iguana. Sometimes, it happens that owners mistakenly shut the doors with iguana’s toes or tail between them.
- Don’t set a very high humidity in the cage. Very high humidity (over 80%) is likely to cause mold formation and quicker bacterial multiplication. Your iguana’s wound might get infected quicker, because bacteria multiply quicker in warm and wet conditions.
- If your iguana is free roaming, make sure to check its toes regularly. You might not expect it, but very often carpet fibers, human hair, threads and other similar objects wrap around iguana’s toes, shutting off the blood supply.
- Make sure to clip iguana’s nails if they get long. Once in a while, you might need to clip iguana’s claws if they don’t get worn off by climbing. Make sure to clip just under the ‘quick’ vein. Find instructions on trimming iguana’s claws here.
- You must supplement iguana’s food with vitamins and minerals and have UVB bulbs in the tank. Without proper supplementation and UVB lamps, your iguana will become weak and develop deficiencies. Calcium and other supplements are crucial for healing in case of injuries and to make bones strong and harder to break.
- If you ever see any cuts or breaks on iguana’s skin on toes (even other parts of the body), make sure to disinfect the wound. Keep applying some antibiotic ointment until the wound heals. Cuts and wounds can cause infection without proper disinfection.
- If your iguana has an infected toe, make sure to clean its enclosure daily until the wound closes. Unsanitary conditions will worsen the infection.
Read about setting up lights in iguana’s tank in this post (opens in a new tab). You can also find lots of useful information on iguana supplementation in this post (in a new tab).
Iguana swollen toe – what causes it?
- Swollen toe can be a result on an injury, such as getting the toe stuck between the objects. This can lead to necrosis and a black toe due to shutting off blood supply. The toe will also be swollen.
- Another reason for a swollen toe is due to bites. This is likely to result in an open wound, and infection. This infection can lead to necrosis, but you must keep cleaning the wound to prevent that.
- Iguana’s toe might also get swollen if there is an abscess. Abscess often develop after open wounds, when infection causes pus formation in an enclosed wound. Abscess often looks red and swollen. You will need to take your iguana to the vet to have the abscess cut open and to clean pus.
Your iguana’s toe might become swollen due to the crushing of the bone, jerking of the toe suddenly, and getting the toe stuck in the hole or somewhere else very tight. In any cases, it is always the best idea to have an X-Ray done to see if any bones are broken.
It might also get bitten by other animals, causing open wounds and infection. In this case, if the blood supply was shut off for long enough, the toe will start getting brown and black, eventually falling off. In case of other injuries and bites, you will need to soak the toe in Betadine solution until the swelling goes down.
However, your iguana’s toe might also get swollen because or arthritis, an abscess (infected area with collection of pus) and tear of ligaments/tendons. In this case, you will need to see a vet for medication prescription (often anti-inflammatory injections under the skin).
If your iguana is gravid, she will start digging frantically towards the end of the pregnancy. She will do that to find the suitable spot for laying eggs. But female iguanas often dig so hard that they damage the toes, lose the toenail and even tear the joints in the toes.
In this case, you will have to keep disinfecting the toes until the wounds close. If the joint is torn on the finger, it will need injections, too.
Iguana black toe – what causes it?
Your iguana might develop a black toe after an injury. Basically, a black toe in an iguana is a dry gangrene, or a dying tissue. This often happens after a serious injury to a toe, for example when it gets stuck in something tight, shutting off the blood supply. It can also happen when a toe gets crushed by something or gets cut resulting an open wound.
If an injury to a toe is serious, a toe is likely to be swollen first. Slowly, it will start turning brown and then black. At this point, you will know that you won’t be able to save this toe. It is always important to remove the dead toe to prevent spreading and to speed up the healing process.
Your vet will sterilize the scissors and cut the dead toe above the dry gangrene. If you do not have any chance to visit the vet, you must do it yourself. But do not do it if you feel scared – most general doctors should be able to perform this procedure.
You must sterilize scissors and cut just above the dry black tissue, so you don’t leave any bacteria in there. Otherwise, it might spread again. After amputation, you must apply some antibiotic ointment or spray to the wound. After the wound heals, your iguana will not grow the toe back.
Iguana black toe – how to prevent and treat it?
Always try to avoid having spots where your iguana’s toes might get stuck. If your iguana ever cuts its toe, make sure to disinfect the wound with antibiotic ointments or something similar. Not disinfecting the open wound on a toe might lead to bacterial infection, causing black toes.
You must always see the vet if a toe is starting to get darker. Sooner a dying toe is amputated, better the recovery will be. Amputation of a dying toe will also ensure that the infection is not spreading higher.
If you have no chance to visit the vet, you will have to sterilize scissors and cut the toe just above the black infected spot. There should not be much bleeding, because it’s the dead tissue. After amputation, you must keep disinfecting the wound for few weeks until it starts healing.
Iguana crooked toe
Your iguana might easily tear tendons or ligaments in the toes because they are very delicate. In case of torn tendons or ligaments, it’s not very useful to bandage fingers together. This can cause even more problems. If your iguana has a crooked toe (if it had trauma before that has healed), you should leave the toes as they are.
Iguana broken finger
Your iguana might get its finger broken if it falls from the structure or dislocates it when climbing. Iguanas often jump from high structures, not caring about injuring themselves! They also tend to get in different poses when climbing. All of this can lead to broken and dislocated toes and other bones.
If your iguana has dislocated or broken its toe, it will look misshaped. If a toe is dislocated, the swelling be more serious than in case of joint tear or arthritis. In this case, you will need to do soaks with Betadine (mix water and Betadine to make a mild brown solution) and apply a splint.
To make a splint, you will need to place something straight against the broken finger, and tape adjacent toes together. Don’t tape them too strongly, make sure not to cut off the blood circulation. Few fingers can be taped together.
Everything should be taped from the actual foot, because otherwise the splint will come off easily. It’s always the best to take your iguana to the vet to confirm the broken bones with an X-Ray. The vet will also make a splint.
Iguana nail loss
Your iguana might also lose it nail, or claw. This is also because your iguana might get its nail stuck between the mesh, cage sides, curtains, between cage accessories and so on.
If your iguana’s claw gets stuck in the structures, it might move it suddenly, causing ripping out of the nail. Keep disinfecting the wound with Betadine soaks and antibiotic ointments until the wound closes.
How to treat iguana toe?
- If your iguana has ripped its nail, there will be bleeding. To stop the bleeding, you can cover the wound with styptic powder or cornstarch.
- After the bleeding stops, wash the wound with hydrogen peroxide. Also, start preparing mild Betadine solution soaks for a foot for 10 minutes (mix water and Betadine to make a light brown solution).
- And then, after soaking, you will need to cover the wound with antibiotic to prevent the spread of infection.
- Keep soaking the infected toe in the mild Betadine (mix Betadine with water) solution once a day for a week, and then reduce to 3 days a week. Also apply an antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin.
- Try to apply the antibiotic at night, when your iguana is going to sleep. This will minimize any chances of your iguana licking off the medicine.
- Black toes must be amputated to prevent spreading of infection and to speed up the recovery.
- Abscesses must be cut open to remove the pus inside, and disinfected for a week or two to close the wound.
- Broken toes will need splinting.
- Torn ligaments/tendons will often need splinting and injections. After healing, toes might stay crooked or slightly swollen. Arthritis is also not likely to pass and toes might stay slightly swollen.
Iguana is dragging the foot – why?
If your iguana is dragging the whole foot, that probably means that it’s dislocated or broken. You will need to take your iguana to the vet to perform an X-Ray. If fracture is the issue, iguana will often not use the limb and will drag it.
In this case, the full splinting from the shoulder can help immobilize the limb to help the recovery. Sometimes, broken bones can also cause ligament and tendon tear, which will leave swelling on toes as well.